Great events will take place on the advent of the Day of Reckoning. The world will be destroyed with the great events. The Day of Reckoning will begin with one such event and this is found in the various verses of the Qura’n.

In verse 48 of Surah Ibrahim the Book says:

“On the Day when the earth will be changed to another earth, and so will be the heavens and they will appear before God the one, the irresistible.”

This change points towards the third stage because the verse says that everything that a man possesses will be before God.

The change in the earth does not mean that its structure will change as some people deem it to be but it means the specific features will be changed like the destruction of the mountains, the land becoming clean and level spread far and wide without changing its physical structure.

On the Day of Reckoning mankind will rise from the graves. Verse 55 of Surah Ta-Ha says:

“We have created you from this earth, and into We shall return you and then bring you forth once again.”

The commentators have given various explanations for this verse and most of them are from unconfirmed hadith or the words of ancient commentators.

Some said that the earth will changed to silver and the heavens into gold. Some have said that the earth will be changed into fire and the heavens into the Gardens of Paradise or every portion of earth will change into silver or fire according to whether it is inhabited by the believers or the disbelievers.

What we learn from this verse is that there will be a great change. The details of this change are not clear in our minds and knowledge.

Verses 1 and 2 of Surah Zalzalah say:

“When the earth trembles with its final earthquake and when it throws out its burden.”

Does this refer to the earthquake that will engulf the entire world at the end of this world or the one that will occur at the beginning of the Day of Reckoning? The commentators have a conflict of ideas about it. (Fakhr Razi has mentioned both in his Tafsir) (1)

The second interpretation seems the best considering the other verses of the same Surah because the verse states:

“The earth will throw out its burden.” The word Athqal” is plural of “thaqal” which means treasures. There is a strong indication that here it refers to human beings who will brought out of their graves.

Verse 4 of Surah Inshiqaaq says:

“And has thrown out all that was in it and became empty.”

The second earthquake is the one that will occur before the dead become alive and after the beginning of the Day of Reckoning. This will be a great earthquake that will encompass everything contrary to those earthquakes that will occur in limited portions of the land. The term “the earth will throw out” has a generality and the meaning of the word also confirms it.

A clearer des c r i p tion is found in verse 44 of Surah Qaf that says:

“They will hasten on the Day the earth will be cleft asunder under them, gathering them together is easy for Us.” (2)

The splitting of the earth and the resurrection will be the result of a great series of earthquakes that will engulf the world.

This earthquake will be the time for resurrection and not for the end of the world especially when we consider that the verse speaks about the gathering instead of the raising of the dead (this refers to the gathering of the humans, or the gathering of the human parts or instilling the soul in the bodies)

This earth quake contrary to the others has a constructive side while the others are only destructive and deadly. This earthquake will be one that will give the humans the scope of coming out of their graves and starting a new life.

Verses 6 and 7 of Surah Naziat have the same meaning and say:

“On the Day the earth and the mountains shall shake violently; the second blowing of the trumpet shall follow

The quake.”

Many commentators have taken it to mean the great shriek or the first blowing of the trumpet with which will end the world and the second verse to mean the second blowing of the trumpet with the Day of Reckoning will begin even though the words of the verse do not say this because “Rajafah” is derived from “Rajaf” . According to Maqayis-ol-loghata it means despair and restlessness. According to Raghib it means great distress. This is why a turbulent river is called “Bahr Rajaf” and “Arajeef” means those rumors that destroy the peace and social fabric of a society.

It is true that great shrieks come from the earthquakes but here there is no need we interpret the two earthquakes in symbolic rather than the literal manner.

The upheavals of earth are one of the signs of the beginning of the Day of Reckoning. The earth will be totally leveled and the entire mankind will rise out of it so the Qura’n says in verse 47 of Surah Kahf:

“And the Day We shall cause the mountains to pass away, and you will see the earth as a level plain, and We shall gather them all together so as to leave none behind.”

The movement of the mountains is the beginning of their destruction as we find the above and other verses. The land will be totally leveled and the then the men rise upon it.

Verse 105 to 107 of Surah Ta-Ha say:

“And they ask you concerning the mountains, say “My Lord will blast them and scatter them as particles of dust; then He shall leave it as a level smooth plain. On that day mankind will find no crookedness or unevenness in it. On that Day they will follow the Summoner without showing any resistance.”

It seems that these verses tell us about some events that will occur at the end of this world and then those that will occur on the beginning of the Day of Reckoning.

This was the précis of the discussion on the ‘Signs of the hour” which has been categorized into three parts by the verses of the “Qura’n. They also speak about the great changes at the end of the world and some events that will occur at the beginning of the Day of Reckoning.

1. Tafsir Kabeer vol.32 page 58

2. The origin of “Tashaqqaq” is “Tatshaqaq” one “Ta” has been removed.